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In the Heart of the Sea : The Epic True Story That Inspired 'Moby Dick
by Nathaniel Philbrick

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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2418.In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea_The_Epic_True_Story_That_Inspired_Moby_Dick?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="In the Heart of the Sea : The Epic True Story That Inspired 'Moby Dick" border="0" src="http://s3.amazonaws.com/photo.goodreads.com/books/1161044444m/2418.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2418.In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea_The_Epic_True_Story_That_Inspired_Moby_Dick?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">In the Heart of the Sea : The Epic True Story That Inspired 'Moby Dick</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1641.Nathaniel_Philbrick">Nathaniel Philbrick</a><br/><br/>
  <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17886823?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
  rating: 3 of 5 stars<br/>Don't read this if you have not read the book. I do not mean to spoil the tale. It is worth the read. 
<br/>Survival of the fittest. The term "dauntless" really does apply to some. One crew made the voyage reletively unscathed, one perished, one resorted to cannibalism. The qualities, strengths & weaknesses of the men involved, especially those of the leaders, made the differance.  The crew commanded by the 1st mate, Chase, did not resort to cannibalism. He made mistakes but maintained order & brought them to land in relatively good condition. Why? The captain's crew resorted to murder & cannibalism under the same circumstances. Why? The 2 sailors left on Dulcie Island wanted to be left behind in the belief that it was safer than attempting to cross the sea in the whaleboats & that rescue was more certain. They almost died when their water supply dried up & rescue was nearly too late. Racism certainly played a part in the fate of the sailors. What would have been the decider in choosing which sailors to kill & eat first if all had been white? Or if all had been black? All cultures have a bloody foundation and this book certaily points that out about the naval culture.
  <br/><br/><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/934580?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Coalbanks's review
rating:
recommended for: vegans & armchair sailors.

Don't read this if you have not read the book. I do not mean to spoil the tale. It is worth the read.
Survival of the fittest. The term "dauntless" really does apply to some. One crew made the voyage reletively unscathed, one perished, one resorted to cannibalism. The qualities, strengths & weaknesses of the men involved, especially those of the leaders, made the differance. The crew commanded by the 1st mate, Chase, did not resort to cannibalism. He made mistakes but maintained order & brought them to land in relatively good condition. Why? The captain's crew resorted to murder & cannibalism under the same circumstances. Why? The 2 sailors left on Dulcie Island wanted to be left behind in the belief that it was safer than attempting to cross the sea in the whaleboats & that rescue was more certain. They almost died when their water supply dried up & rescue was nearly too late. Racism certainly played a part in the fate of the sailors. What would have b...more

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